New Mustang school to welcome students

MUSTANG — The textbooks were on pallets and workers were feverishly hammering and polishing as the Friday opening of Mustang's Canyon Ridge Intermediate School approached.

The hallway to the fifth grade wing in the Mustang Public School's, $17 million , new fifth and sixth grade Canyon Ridge School on Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2013, in Mustang, Okla. Photo by Chris Landsberger

The $17 million school has been under construction for about a year, the result of a bond issue passed in early 2012. Canyon Ridge will house about 815 students in the fifth and sixth grades.

The building is laid out in a pod system, with a large atrium connecting classroom and activity wings.

There is a large gym with six basketball goals and a cafeteria that doubles as an auditorium.

In the center rotunda, a giant tile compass will help students navigate the building.

“What really catches my attention is the reaction from different people, parents, kids, teachers,” Mustang schools Superintendent Sean McDaniel said Wednesday. “How can you not get excited about it? It's a great place to learn and to come to work every day. We know when people are happy they are positioned to learn better.”

Most of the building's 52 classrooms include smart boards that are the 21st century equivalent of old-fashioned chalk or wipe boards. The dedicated choir room has acoustic paneling and built-in risers.

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Matt Patterson has been with The Oklahoman since 2006. Prior to joining the news staff in 2010, Patterson worked in The Oklahoman's sports department for five years. He previously worked at The Lawton Constitution and The Edmond Sun....